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Recap of 9/26/10 (Ephesians 4:25-26):
1. The essence of the transformation which Paul says must come in the life of the Christian is expressed well by Oswald Chambers in the following: “The expression of Christian character is not good doing, but Godlikeness. If the Spirit of God had transformed you within, you will exhibit Divine characteristics in you life, not good human characteristics. God’s life in us expresses itself as God’s life, not as a human life trying to be godly. The secret of a Christian is that the supernatural is made natural in him by the grace of God, and the experience of this works out in the practical details of life, not in times of communion with God.”
2. In Ephesians 4:25-32, Paul concretely applies the principles of verses 17-24 highlighting five sins which must be dealt with in the Christian life. They are: lying, giving way to unrighteous anger, stealing, improper speech, and bitterness.
3. Since Christians are one with others in the body of Christ, trust is essential. Trust can only be maintained in an atmosphere of honesty. The first sin of the Church age was the sin of lying (Acts. 5).
4. Christians are warned about anger which is not righteous and can become a settled sinful mood in a Christian’s life. Righteous anger is exemplified by Jesus in Mark 3:5 and John 2:13-17, and in the Old Testament in the repeated phrase: “The anger of the LORD burned against them.”
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
A New Wardrobe - Part 2
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Recap of 9/19/10 (Ephesians 4:20-24):
The Word of God is vital to our lives in the following ways. It is vital:
-to producing spiritual growth, 1 Peter 1:23-2:2
-to going on in to Christian maturity, Hebrews 5:11-14
-to skillful living, Proverbs 2:1-6
-for equipping us for good works, 2 Timothy 3:16,17; Ephesians 2:8-10
-to intimately knowing Christ, John 5:39; Luke 24:25-27; 2 Peter 1:3
-to victory in spiritual warfare, Matthew 4:1-11
-to true worship, John 4:19-24; Acts 17:23 (doctrinal sections of the Word are often followed by doxologies, Romans 11:33-36; Ephesians 3:20-21
-to answering false doctrine and false teachers, 1 Timothy 4:1-6, 11-16; 2 Timothy 1:13,14; 4:1-4
-to personal and corporate purity, Jude 3,4; Proverbs 29:18; Psalm 119:9-11
-to proper relationships both in and out of the Body (see the “one-another” passages)
Recap of 9/19/10 (Ephesians 4:20-24):
The Word of God is vital to our lives in the following ways. It is vital:
-to producing spiritual growth, 1 Peter 1:23-2:2
-to going on in to Christian maturity, Hebrews 5:11-14
-to skillful living, Proverbs 2:1-6
-for equipping us for good works, 2 Timothy 3:16,17; Ephesians 2:8-10
-to intimately knowing Christ, John 5:39; Luke 24:25-27; 2 Peter 1:3
-to victory in spiritual warfare, Matthew 4:1-11
-to true worship, John 4:19-24; Acts 17:23 (doctrinal sections of the Word are often followed by doxologies, Romans 11:33-36; Ephesians 3:20-21
-to answering false doctrine and false teachers, 1 Timothy 4:1-6, 11-16; 2 Timothy 1:13,14; 4:1-4
-to personal and corporate purity, Jude 3,4; Proverbs 29:18; Psalm 119:9-11
-to proper relationships both in and out of the Body (see the “one-another” passages)
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
A New Wardrobe
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Recap of 9/12/10 (Ephesians 4:17-19):
1. Paul’s argument in Eph. 4:17-10 is that once a person comes to know Jesus Christ as Savior they should no longer live the way they used to. We should be changed, starting with out thinking. As Warren Wiersbe put it: “The whole outlook of a person changes when they trust Christ, including their values, goals, interpretation of life.”
2. There is a heavy emphasis in this passage on “thinking, the mind, learning.” In his book, Ordering Your Private World,” author Gordon MacDonald mentions five dangers of mentally out-of-shape Christians:
-“Mentally out of shape Christians are prey to falling victim to destructive ideas and systems.”
-“We must come to recognize that the race of life will have to be run on endurance and discipline and not talent.”
-“The pursuit of amusement (activity without thought) has supplanted the hard work of thinking in our society.”
-“The mind must be trained to think, to analyze, to innovate.”
-“We in the evangelical Christian world must appreciate the distinction between gatherers of details and rules and skilled handlers of truth.”
3. The corrupted mind of the unbeliever leads him to darkened understanding (willful ignorance of God), to separation from the life of God, to a “petrified” heart which is insensitive to conscience, shame, and consideration of other people.
Recap of 9/12/10 (Ephesians 4:17-19):
1. Paul’s argument in Eph. 4:17-10 is that once a person comes to know Jesus Christ as Savior they should no longer live the way they used to. We should be changed, starting with out thinking. As Warren Wiersbe put it: “The whole outlook of a person changes when they trust Christ, including their values, goals, interpretation of life.”
2. There is a heavy emphasis in this passage on “thinking, the mind, learning.” In his book, Ordering Your Private World,” author Gordon MacDonald mentions five dangers of mentally out-of-shape Christians:
-“Mentally out of shape Christians are prey to falling victim to destructive ideas and systems.”
-“We must come to recognize that the race of life will have to be run on endurance and discipline and not talent.”
-“The pursuit of amusement (activity without thought) has supplanted the hard work of thinking in our society.”
-“The mind must be trained to think, to analyze, to innovate.”
-“We in the evangelical Christian world must appreciate the distinction between gatherers of details and rules and skilled handlers of truth.”
3. The corrupted mind of the unbeliever leads him to darkened understanding (willful ignorance of God), to separation from the life of God, to a “petrified” heart which is insensitive to conscience, shame, and consideration of other people.
Thursday, September 09, 2010
Arrested Development, Park 4 - Marks of Maturity
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Recap of 9/5/10 (Ephesians 4:13-16):
1. When Teaching Pastors and other spiritually gifted leaders are not studying, teaching, and living out the Word of God, many bad things happen to the church, two of which are: Christians are made spectators to the ministry rather than participants in the ministry; and believers are not protected from errant doctrine and lifestyle growing out of the wrong doctrine.
2. Paul emphasizes the corporate nature of maturity in the church in this passage. As cogently expressed by Klyne Snodgrass: “We are one with other people in Christ, like it or not. We cannot be mature Christians by ourselves, for we cannot give ourselfes everything we need for a life of faith. Christ could supply our needs directly, but instead He has chosen to grace other people so that they contribute to us and we to them. Grace comes from God, but it is also conveyed along horizontal channels. Or as F.F. Bruce put it, ‘The higher reaches of the Christian life cannot be attained in isolation from one’s fellow believers.’”
3. In Ephesians 4:13-16 Paul teaches that the Body (the church) must grow up to maturity. The marks of maturity are Christlikeness (vs. 13); stability (vs. 14); and commitment to the truth expressed in love (vv. 15-16).
Recap of 9/5/10 (Ephesians 4:13-16):
1. When Teaching Pastors and other spiritually gifted leaders are not studying, teaching, and living out the Word of God, many bad things happen to the church, two of which are: Christians are made spectators to the ministry rather than participants in the ministry; and believers are not protected from errant doctrine and lifestyle growing out of the wrong doctrine.
2. Paul emphasizes the corporate nature of maturity in the church in this passage. As cogently expressed by Klyne Snodgrass: “We are one with other people in Christ, like it or not. We cannot be mature Christians by ourselves, for we cannot give ourselfes everything we need for a life of faith. Christ could supply our needs directly, but instead He has chosen to grace other people so that they contribute to us and we to them. Grace comes from God, but it is also conveyed along horizontal channels. Or as F.F. Bruce put it, ‘The higher reaches of the Christian life cannot be attained in isolation from one’s fellow believers.’”
3. In Ephesians 4:13-16 Paul teaches that the Body (the church) must grow up to maturity. The marks of maturity are Christlikeness (vs. 13); stability (vs. 14); and commitment to the truth expressed in love (vv. 15-16).
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